Outboard motor attachment



March 15, 1966 N E T 3,240,181

OUTBQARD MQTOR ATTACHMENT Filed June 5, 1964 INVENTOR BENEDI M. CHANDLERBY HOWARD A. SMITH A TTORNE Y5 United States Patent Ofiice 3,240,181OUTBOARD MOTOR ATTACHMENT Benedict M. Chandler and Howard A. Smith,Jacksonville, Fla, assignors to Surflo Inc, a corporation of FloridaFiled June 5, 1964, Ser. No. 372,872

4 (Ilaims. (Cl. 115-17) This invention relates to outboard motors andmore particularly to novel and improved means for cooling a water cooledoutboard motor when the normally operable cooling system fails due to amechanical malfunction.

Most outboard motors of present manufacture are of the water cooled typewhereby water is drawn into an inlet in the lower housing of the motor,usually adjacent the propeller, and is pumped through passages aroundthe cylinder block to cool the same. The water pump is usually locatedin the motor housing. While it is accessible for inspection and repair,in order to gain access to the pump, it is usually a relatively majorjob to dismantle the motor sufficiently to reach the pump. At any ratethe repair of the pump is an operation which can not normally be carriedout while the motor is mounted on a boat and the boat is in the water.Accordingly, if the water pump should fail while the boat is cruising,the boat operator is usually faced with the problem of either stoppingthe motor to avoid damage due to overheating or attempting to return toshore by using the motor and risking the likelihood that the overheatingwill cause the pistons to seize in the cylinder with attendant majordamage to the motor.

Accordingly, it is the primary object of this invention to provide noveland improved auxiliary means for cooling a water cooled outboard motorwhich, for example, in the event of a water pump failure, will providesulficient cooling of the motor to permit the boat to return to shorewithout motor damage due to overheating.

It is a further object of this invention to provide such novel andimproved auxiliary cooling means which may readily be attached to orremoved from the motor from within a boat on which the motor is mounted.

It is still further an object of this invention to provide such noveland improved auxiliary cooling means which will provide forcedcirculation of water through the motor cooling passages when the boat ismoving forwardly, and which is adapted to be attached to many existingmotors without requiring a reworking of the motor.

The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of thisinvention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. Theinvention itself, however, both as to its organization and method ofoperation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, maybest be understood by reference to the following description taken inconnection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary, side elevational view of the lower driveportion of an exemplary outboard motor with which the cooling means ofthis invention is particularly adapted for use;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 with the auxiliary cooling means ofthis invention mounted on the motor;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, side elevational view of the auxiliary coolingmeans of FIG. 2 removed from the motor;

FIG. 4 is a top view of the cooling means of FIG. 3 with a portion cutaway as indicated by the line 4-4 in FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is an end view of a portion of the cooling means of FIG. 3 asindicated vby the line 55 in FIG. 3.

With reference to the drawing and particularly FIGS. 1 and 2, there isshown, generally at 10, the lower drive portion of an outboard motor ofa type with which the 3,24%,181 Patented Mar. 15, 1966 auxiliarlycooling unit of this invention is particularly adapted for use. Themotor includes a lower housing 12 which is suspended from an upperhousing (not shown), which contains the cylinder block, crankshaft,carburetor, etc. The crankshaft is connected by a drive shaft andgearing (not shown) to the propeller 14 located at the lower end of thelower housing 12. As is conventional, an anti-cavitation plate 16 iscarried by the lower housing and extends generally parallel to therotational axis of the propeller in relatively closely spaced relationto the propeller. The cylinder block of the motor is cooled by waterpassages in the block surrounding the cylinders. During normal motoroperation, Water is forced through these passages by a pump (not shown)which is driven by the motor. The inlet to the pump is connected to apassage 18 which leads to a chamber 20 in the lower housing above theanti-cavitation plate 16. This chamber communicates with a scoop 22which extends downwardly from the anti-cavitation plate rearwardly ofthe propeller. The scoop 22 has an inlet opening 24 which facesgenerally forwardly toward the propeller and is disposed relativelyclose to the propeller, so that during rotation of the propeller waterwill tend to be forced into the scoop so as to preload the pump andimprove the efficiency thereof. The cooling water exiting from thecylinder block flows into an exhaust passage 26 for discharge from theafter end of the housing 12.

When the motor is operated in water in which there is silt or otherforeign matter, there may be a tendency for such foreign matter to enterthe cooling water inlet where it will be deposited in the enlargedchamber 20. In order to permit occasional removal of this foreignmatter, a cleanout opening 28 is provided in the side of the lowerhousing 12 in registry with the chamber 20. The clean out opening isnormally closed by a plate 30 which extends over the opening and ismounted on the lower housing by a pair of screws 32. To gain access tothe chamber 2%, the screws 32 are merely removed and the plate 30 liftedoff.

If, during operation of the motor, the water pump should fail, forexample, because of a broken impeller, continued operation of the motorwill result in overheating of the cylinder block usually with attendantseizure of the pistons in the cylinders. While rotation of the propellerwill tend to force water into the inlet scoop 22, the amount of waterpassed through the cylinder block in this manner is usually insufiicientto prevent damaging overheating of the motor. In accordance with theinvention auxiliarly cooling means are provided to increase the flow ofwater through the cylinder block when the motor is operated with adefective pump thereby to permit continued operation of the motorwithout causing serious damage to the motor due to overheating. Moreparticularly, and with reference to FIGS. 2-5, the auxiliary coolingmeans of this invention is generally indicated at 34 and comprises amounting plate 36 of the same size and configuration as the closureplate 30. The mounting plate 36 is provided with a pair of apertures 38for reception of the screws 32 which normally hold the closure plate 36in place. The mounting plate is further provided with a generallyelliptical opening 40 which communicates with an end of a cylindricaltube 42 mgidly secured, as by welding, to the mounting plate. The tube42 extends from the opening 40 in the mounting plate rearwardly of theplate 36 and generally in vertical alignment therewith. The tube 42 isrigidly supported intermediate its ends by a strut 4-3 extending betweenthe tube and the plate 36. The ends of the strut are secured, as bywelding, to the plate 36 and tube 42, respectively. As can be seen fromE6. 4 the tube 42 is curved, in the horizontal plane, about a centerspaced from and disposed on the side of the plate 36 opposite that whichthe tube faces. The curvature of the tube is such that the end thereofremote from the opening 40 is redirected generally toward the generalplane of the mounting plate.

The tube 42 terminates at a U-shaped cylindrical tube 44 to which thetube 42 is rigidly connected in sealed relation. The tube 44 dependsfrom the after end of the tube 42, whereby the lower end of the tube 44faces generally toward the forward end of the mounting plate 36 to whichthe tube 42 is connected. A scoop 46 is rigidly connected in sealedrelation to the lower end of the tube 44. In the specific embodimentshown in the drawing, the main body of the scoop 44 is of generallyrectangular cross-section having a relatively large inlet opening 48.The body of the scoop tapers from the inlet 48 to cylindrical end remotefrom the inlet 48 and is rigidly connected in sealed relation to thelower end of the tube 44. As will be observed in the drawing thecross-sectional area of the scoop inlet is very substantiially largerthan .the cross-sectional area of the tube 44 or 42.

Normally the auxiliary cooling unit 34 will not be mounted on the motor.However, in the event of a water pump failure, the closure plate 30 isremoved and the auxiliary unit 34 mounted on the lower housing '12 ofthe motor by securing the mounting plate on the housing in place of theclosure plate 30. The screws 32 which normally secure the closure plateto the housing are also used to secure the mounting plate 36 to thehousing. As noted previously, the mounting plate 36 is preferably of thesame size and configuration as the closure plate 30. With the auxiliaryunit secured in place as shown in FIG. 2, the tube 42 will extend aboveand generally parallel to the anti-cavitation plate 16. The tube 44extends beyond the after end of the anti-cavitation plate 16 and then isredirected downwardly and under the plate 16 so as to lie alongside themotor water inlet scoop 22. The scoop 46 of the auxiliary unit 34 isthus disposed below the anti-cavitation plate. The inlet of the scoop 46is disposed closely adjacent the propeller 14 with the general plane ofthe scoop inlet being inclined relative to the propeller axis generallysimilarly to the pitch of the portion of the propeller blades passing bythe scoop inlet. In practice a spacing of about /8" between thepropeller and scoop inlet 48 has been found to be satisfactory. In orderto improve the efiiciency of the unit, it is preferred to locate thescoop inlet 48 adjacent the outer diameter of the propeller where thelineal speed of the propeller blades, and thus the pressure of thepropeller wash, will be greater.

With the auxiliary unit installed as described, operation of the motorwill cause the propeller to force water into the scoop 46, through thetubes 44 and 42 and into the chamber 20 from whence it will pass throughthe passage 18 to the cylinder block and then out the passage 26. At thesame time water will be forced into the scoop 22 and thus into thechamber 20. As noted above the water forced into the scoop 22 will notthe sutficient, of itself, to maintain the cylinder block cool enough topre vent operation of the motor without damage due to overheating.However, the additional cooling water provided by the auxiliary unit 34will be suflicient to permit operation of the motor without risk ofseizure of the pistons. It is preferred though that when the motor isoperated with the auxiliary cooling unit as a result of a pump failurethat the motor not be operated in excess of moderate speeds.

While the specific embodiment shown and described has been related to amotor having an existing access opening to the inlet water coolingpassages in the lower motor housing, the invention is not limited to usewith such motors. For example where no such access opening is providedon the motor, an opening of suitable size may be provided in the lowerhousing of the motor so as to communicate with the inlet passage to thewater pump. This hole may be normally closed in any suitable manner suchas by a plate extending across the opening and secured to the housing byscrews in much the same manner as the closure plate 3% previouslydescribed. Alternately, the specialiy provided opening could be tapped,and closed with a threaded plug. In this event additional holes would berequired to receive screws for securing the mounting plate 36 to thehousing. The holes for these screws could be tapped or self-tappingscrews could be utilized.

Thus it can be seen that there has been provided a novel and improvedauxiliary cooling unit for a water cooled outboard motor which willpermit continued operation of the motor in the event of water pumpfailure. The unit may readily be attached to the motor when required.The ease and manner of attachment permits the same to be accomplishedfrom within a boat merely by tilting the motor up whereby the necessaryportion of the lower housing may be reached from the transom of theboat. Once the boat has reached shore and repairs made to the pump, theauxiliary unit may be removed and stored away on the boat for furtheruse, if required.

While only a certain preferred embodiment of this invention has beenshown and described by way of illustration, many modifications willoccur to those skilled in the art and it is, therefore, desired that itbe understood that it is intended in the appended claims to cover allsuch modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of thisinvention.

What is claimed as new and what it is desired to secure by LettersPatent of the United States is:

1. An auxiliary cooling unit for a water cooled outboard motor of a typehaving a housing containing a cooling water inlet passage and having anopening in the side portion of said housing communicating with saidpassage, comprising an elongated mounting plate adapted to be readilyattached to and removed from the side portion of the housing of anoutboard motor of the type described, means providing an opening in saidplate located so as to be in fluid flow communication with said passagein the motor when said mounting plate is secured to the housing of themotor, an elongated tubular member, mounting means securely connectingsaid plate to said tubular member, said tubular member having one end infiow communication with said opening in the plate, the other end of saidtubular member terminating in a scoop having an inlet with across-sectional area substantially greater than the cross-sectional areaof said tubular member, said tubular member extending outwardly fromsaid one end and longitudinally of said plate and thence downwardly tolocate the inlet of the scoop spaced closely to and rearwardly of thepropeller of the motor in line with a portion of the propeller when themounting plate is secured to the side portion of the housing of themotor.

2. An auxiliary cooling unit for a water cooled outboard motorcomprising a mounting plate having opposite ends and being adapted to bereadily attached to and removed from an outboard motor, means providingan opening in said plate, a tubular member connected at one end in fluidtight relation to said plate with said one end of the tubular membersurrounding said opening in the plate, the tubular member extending fromsaid one end thereof generally longitudinally of said plate beyond oneend of the plate and then being redirected downwardly and toward theother end of said plate, the other end of said tubular memberterminating in 'a scoop having an inlet with a cross-sectional areasubstantially greater than the cross-sectional area of said tubularmember, and a strut fixed at one end to said plate and at the other endto said tubular member intermediate the ends thereof.

3. In combination with an outboard motor having a lower housing, ananti-cavitation plate and a propeller disposed below saidanti-cavitation plate, said housing containing a chamber disposed atleast in part above said anti-cavitation plate in fluid flowcommunication with a cooling water inlet passage in the motor, saidhousing having a side portion provided with an access opening above saidanti-cavitation plate in registry with said chamber, said access openingbeing normally at least substantially closed by a closure plate securedto said housing; an auxiliary cooling water inlet unit comprising amounting plate extending over said access opening in lieu of saidclosure plate, said mounting plate being removably secured to saidhousing side portion and having an opening therethrough in registry withsaid access opening, a tubular member connected at one end to saidmounting plate in fluid flow communication with said opening in themounting plate and extending from said one end over said anti-cavitationplate and downwardly around and under the rearward portion of saidanti-cavitation plate, and a scoop connected at one end to the other endof said tubular member, said scoop having an inlet portion at its otherend generally facing and closely adjacent the propeller and having across-sectional area substantially greater than the cross-sectional areaof said tubular men1- her.

4. In combination with an outboard motor having a lower housing, ananti-cavitation plate and a propeller, said housing containing a chamberdisposed at least in part above said anti-cavitation plate and which isin fluid flow communication a cooling water inlet passage in the motor,said housing being provided with an access opening above saidanti-cavitation plate and in registry with said chamber which isnormally at least substantially closed by a closure plate secured tosaid housing by a plurality of screws received in openings in saidhousing; an auxiliary cooling water inlet unit comprising a mountingplate extending over said access opening in lieu of said closure plate,said mounting plate generally of the same size as said closure plate andbeing secured to said housing by a plurality of screws received in theopenings for receiving the screws for mounting the closure plate, saidmounting plate having an opening therethrough in registry with saidaccess opening, a tubular member connected at one end to said mountingplate in fluid flow communication with said opening in the mountingplate, said tubular member having a first portion extending from saidone end over said anti-cavitation plate toward the rear- Ward portionthereof, and curving from said one end outwardly from and then inwardlytoward the general plane of said mounting plate, said first portionterminating in U-shaped second portion extending downwardly around andunder the rearward portion of said anti-cavitation plate, a strutconnected at one end to said mounting plate and at its other endintermediate the ends of said tubular member, and a scoop connected atone end to the lower end of said U-shaped portion, said scoop having aninlet portion at its other end generally facing the propeller anddisposed rearwardly thereof in relatively closely spaced relation, thescoop inlet being adjacent the outer ends of the propeller blades andhaving a cross-sectional area substantially greater than that of saidtubular member.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,099,684 6/1914Barlow et al. -05 1,567,512 12/1915 Johnson 115-28 1,801,644 4/1931Shack 11517 2,201,987 5/1940 C-onover 115-'1'8 FERGUS S. MIDDLETON,Primary Examiner.

ANDREW H. FARRELL, Examiner.

1. AN AUXILIARY COOLING UNIT FOR A WATER COOLED OUTBOARD MOTOR OF A TYPEHAVING A HOUSING CONTAINING A COOLING WATER INLET PASSAGE AND HAVING ANOPENING IN THE SIDE PORTION OF SAID HOUSING COMMUNICATING WITH SAIDPASSAGE, COMPRISING AN ELONGATED MOUNTING PLATE ADAPTED TO BE READILYATTACHED TO AND REMOVED FROM THE SIDE PORTION OF THE HOUSING OF ANOUTBOARD MOTOR OF THE TYPE DESCRIBED, MEANS PROVIDING AN OPENING IN SAIDPLATE LOCATED SO AS TO BE IN FLUID FLOW COMMUNICATION WITH SAID PASSAGEIN THE MOTOR WHEN SAID MOUNTING PLATE IS SECURED TO THE HOUSING OF THEMOTOR, AND ELONGATED TUBULAR MEMBER, MOUNTING MEANS SECURELY CONNECTINGSAID PLATE TO SAID TUBULAR MEMBER, SAID TUBULAR MEMBER HAVING ONE END INFLOW COMMUNICATION WITH SAID OPENING IN THE PLATE, THE OTHER END OF SAIDTUBULAR MEMBER TERMINATING IN A SCOOP HAVING AN INLET WITH ACROSS-SECTIONL AREA SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER THAN THE CROSS-SECTIONAL AREAOF SAID TUBULAR MEMBER, SAID TUBULAR MEMBER EXTENDING IN A WARDLY FROMSAID ONE END AND LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID PLATE AND THENCE DOWNWARDLY TOLOCATE THE INLET OF THE SCOOP SPACED CLOSELY TO AND REARWARDLY OF THEPROPELLER OF THE MOTOR IN LINE WITH A PORTION OF THE PROPELLER WHEN THEMOUNTING PLATE IS SECURED TO THE SIDE PORTION OF THE HOUSING OF THEMOTOR.